Where does God live? This is not an idle question. Does God dwell there near us or away from us? Does he live in one place or is he willing to relocate? Is it possible to visit his house--and in this case what are the entrance requirements? Does he live in a closed place, totally, forbidden for any human visit? Answering these questions is the subject of God of No Fixed Address. The tone used is very accessible, and sometimes even disturbing. Misconceptions about the Jewish sanctuary, the Jerusalem temple, and the sacrificial system of the Old Testament will be flattened down and swept when necessary. They will triumph the amazing divine will, which takes man off balance, which refuses any confinement, which tears the sails and demolishes the stones to pitch his tent in every heart and in every community of faith. God of No Fixed Address is a journey for those who love discovering new territories.
For fans of Wendelin van Draanen and Cynthia Lord, a touching and funny middle-grade story about family, friendship, and growing up when you're one step away from homelessness. Twelve-and-three-quarter-year-old Felix Knutsson has a knack for trivia. His favorite game show is Who What Where When; he even named his gerbil after the host. Felix's mom, Astrid, is loving but can't seem to hold on to a job. So when they get evicted from their latest shabby apartment, they have to move into a van. Astrid swears him to secrecy; he can't tell anyone about their living arrangement, not even Dylan and Winnie, his best friends at his new school. If he does, she warns him, he'll be taken away from her and put in foster care. As their circumstances go from bad to worse, Felix gets a chance to audition for a junior edition of Who What Where When, and he's determined to earn a spot on the show. Winning the cash prize could make everything okay again. But things don't turn out the way he expects. . . . Susin Nielsen deftly combines humor, heartbreak, and hope in this moving story about people who slip through the cracks in society, and about the power of friendship and community to make all the difference.
Patricia Crone's God's Rule is a fundamental reconstruction and analysis of Islamic political thought focusing on its intellectual development during the six centuries from the rise of Islam to the Mongol invasions. Based on a wide variety of primary sources--including some not previously considered from the point of view of political thought--this is the first book to examine the medieval Muslim answers to questions crucial to any Western understanding of Middle Eastern politics today, such as why states are necessary, what functions they are meant to fulfill, and whether or why they must be based on religious law. The character of Muslim political thought differs fundamentally from its counterpart in the West. The Christian West started with the conviction that truth (both cognitive and moral) and political power belonged to separate spheres. Ultimately, both power and truth originated with God, but they had distinct historical trajectories and regulated different aspects of life. The Muslims started with the opposite conviction: truth and power appeared at the same time in history and regulated the same aspects of life. In medieval Europe, the disagreement over the relationship between religious authority and political power took the form of a protracted controversy regarding the roles of church and state. In the medieval Middle East, religious authority and political power were embedded in a single, divinely sanctioned Islamic community--a congregation and state made one. The disagreement, therefore, took the form of a protracted controversy over the nature and function of the leadership of Islam itself. Crone makes Islamic political thought accessible by relating it to the contexts in which it was formulated, analyzing it in terms familiar to today's reader, and, where possible, comparing it with medieval European and modern political thought. By examining the ideological point of departure for medieval Islamic political thought, Crone provides an invaluable foundation for a better understanding of contemporary Middle Eastern politics and current world events.
Treat yourself to a bold adventure through the Bible. You will start off in familiar territory, but will soon find yourself exploring ancient texts from the time of Jesus and beyond. These new viewpoints will bring different answers than you may be used to hearing and reading. It will take courage to start such an extreme walk, but once you get out there, nothing can beat the view. Extreme Walking is an advanced course in Bible reading. Through a series of topics that will shed new light on well-known passages in the canon, the reader is taken on an enriching voyage of discovery, where they will always remain just a step away from the safe, well-worn paths of understanding. Why does the Bible talk about "heavens" rather than "heaven"? What kind of Messiah were the Jews really expecting? Who is this Melchizedek guy? Extreme Walking will help you tackle these questions and more.
Contemporary society can be described as splintered: busy and noisy, but also empty and in need of healing. Christians are called to sing the Lord's song anew to the world but are sometimes confused about whether to prioritize loving God or loving our neighbor. This collection of essays shows that both are needed: mission and spiritual disciplines are actually intertwined and reciprocal. Some contributors to this volume take a theoretical perspective; others write from their experience in ministry. Disciplines discussed include classic ones like prayer and study, as well as novel ones like cruciformity, mindfulness, and neighborhood engagement. Written in accessible language with multiple anecdotes, this book aims to inspire both the practice of spiritual disciplines and the practice of mission. Join us as we journey from the Philippines to American nationalism to a prayer truck in inner city Hamilton, as we engage in quiet contemplation as well as compassionate action. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we dance rhythms of resting and responding, listening and leading, praying and proclaiming. Whether through solitude, discipleship groups, inviting strangers to dinner, speaking out against idolatry and injustice, or simply being present, we join Jesus as he repairs the splintered spaces of our lives.
“The Prayer of Silence” has several aims: 1. to teach basic relaxation and concentration methods based on bodily awareness; 2. to develop an awareness of the Divine Presence; 3. to overcome emotional and personality blocks to develop a sense of personal wholeness; 4. to develop an awareness of what the author, drawing on a near death experience in 1966, calls “the Watcher” aspect of consciousness that speeds the development of spiritual perception of inner “Love, Peace and Joy,” 5. to transform the ego from attachment to material and emotional limits to a spiritual Ego that is one with the “Atman” or “Spirit,” and to extend that spiritual awareness to the world and other people; 6. to be able to deal with the conflicts and potential arising from the memory of past lives; 7. to be able to find a “Spiritual Guide” in the inner person; 8. to be able to deal with the inevitable “dry periods” in spiritual practice; 9. to experience “Nirvana,” where all lower attachments are blown out; and 10. to achieve Divine Union, where the Ego and God are One, where “Atman experiences itself as one with Brahman,” where one can say with Jesus, “I and the Father are One.” There is also a very good chapter on “mantras,” so the student can learn about their nature and use, although the Prayer of Silence uses a different, more direct form of focus to achieve concentration and inner awareness. Dr. MacDonald has also remembered and worked with many of his own past lives, so he is a reliable guide to others who are going through that process. The author is a master teacher and the book presents its material in a steadily more complex form, laying the necessary foundations before proceeding to the higher levels of learning. There is a combination of theory and practical exercises so the learner can develop meditation skills gradually but with confidence, building from one stage to the next to achieve mastery of the subject. The writing is clear and concise and easy to understand. In order to explain the often difficult ideas associated with meditation and spiritual growth, Dr. MacDonald draws on the language, ideas and practice of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist traditions to clarify ideas from different angles. He also draws on relevant scientific studies of human consciousness to help make the ideas and aims of this Prayer of Silence clear to the reader.
The Selector of Souls begins with a scene that is terrifying, harrowing and yet strangely tender: we're in the mid ranges of the Himalayas as a young woman gives birth to her third child with the help of her mother, Damini. The birth brings no joy, just a horrible accounting, and the act that follows--the huge sacrifice made by Damini out of love of her daughter--haunts the novel. In Shauna Singh Baldwin's enthralling novel, two fascinating, strong-willed women must deal with the relentless logic forced upon them by survival: Damini, a Hindu midwife, and Anu, who flees an abusive marriage for the sanctuary of the Catholic church. When Sister Anu comes to Damini's home village to open a clinic, their paths cross, and each are certain they are doing what's best for women. What do health, justice, education and equality mean for women when India is marching toward prosperity, growth and becoming a nuclear power? If the baby girls and women around them are to survive, Damini and Anu must find creative ways to break with tradition and help this community change from within.
Through an innovative synthesis of narrative critique, oral-formulaic study, folkloric research, and literary analysis, Kristen H. Lindbeck reads all the Elijah narratives in the Babylonian Talmud and details the rise of a distinct, quasi-angelic figure who takes pleasure in ordinary interaction. During the Talmudic period of 50-500 C.E., Elijah developed into a recognizable character quite different from the Elijah of the Bible. The Elijah of the Talmud dispenses wisdom, advice, and, like the Elijah of Jewish folklore, helps people directly, even with material gifts. Lindbeck highlights particular features of the Elijah stories, allowing them to be grouped into generic categories and considered alongside Rabbinic literary motifs and non-Jewish traditions of late antiquity. She compares Elijah in the Babylonian Talmud to a range of characters angels, rabbis, wonder-workers, the angel of death, Christian saints, and even the Greek god Hermes. She concludes with a survey of Elijah's diverse roles from medieval times to today, throwing into brilliant relief the complex relationship between ancient Elijah traditions and later folktales and liturgy that show Elijah bringing benefits and blessings, appearing at circumcisions and Passover, and visiting households after the Sabbath.
From the author of the Amra Thetys series comes a new novelette set in the same world, featuring the world's grumpiest old man: Sage Lhiewyn, high priest of the god of knowledge, would like nothing better than to spend his remaining days getting his naps in and collecting offerings from what few faithful remain. Unfortunately, he's going on a trio of adventures instead. With his less-than faithful acolyte at his side, Lhiewyn will have to face down a rampaging sewer demon, outwit the beautiful, wily priestess of a foreign god bent on unearthing his greatest secret, and stop a killer whose body count doubles with every new moon. Looks like his nap will have to wait.... A note to potential readers: It is not necessary to read the Amra Thetys series to enjoy this novelette, though of course I think it would be an excellent idea if you did. -Michael McClung
